UH Manoa students receive warrior’s welcome

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple and the UH drum line headlined the Warrior Welcome Welcome Week kick-off on Tuesday, August 14 at Andrews Outdoor Amphitheatre on UH Mānoa campus.

The Warrior Welcome Week is for new UH Mānoa students who are not from Oʻahu and is organized by the campus’ Student Life and Development Office. The goal of the program is to get these students prepared for college life so they can hit the ground running when classes start.

“Here’s my first piece of advice to new freshmen, and parents may gasp when I say this, my advice is take risks,” said Chancellor Apple at the Warrior Welcome Week kick-off event.

The incoming students also received words of wisdom from the New Student Orientation leaders who are students themselves. The advice is valuable since it is from “students who have been through the same, coming to school and all that stuff,” says UH Mānoa freshman Sidra Jabbar.

“I think it’s helping me a lot. Everyone’s been giving me their experiences. I’ve talked to some of the NSO leaders and they’ve been really helpful and really nice,” said Marielle Cabatingtan.

Cabatingtan said the best advice she received was to “get a lot of sleep, I heard, and that’s some really good advice, and also really pace myself in classes.”

Warrior Welcome Week activities included campus tours and a resource and vendor fair where students could meet with different services on campus and student clubs and organizations.

“I actually came here really lonely and I thought that I wasn’t going to make a lot of friends but I feel like I really connected and that Hawaiʻi is really my home now,” said Cabatingtan.

Warrior Welcome Week organizers also strived to show student more than just the UH Mānoa campus. Weekend activities included a hike to Mānoa Falls, kayaking at Chinaman’s Hat, snorkeling at the North Shore and more. There were also workshops on various topics included a college survival guide, a Native Hawaiian sense of place, the Honolulu scene, local style and culture and more.

“In order for them to get the full college experience, I feel like they have to be involved in more than just academics and really feel a part of the UH Manoa ʻohana,” said Katie Tuisaloo, UH Mānoa senior summer leader.

Bryson Naboa agrees, “I got to meet a lot of new people and I’m just so excited for the next four years here.”